The technology disclosed relates to testing position locating components of devices. In particular, it relates to provision of simulated signals from one or more constellations of positioning satellites over the air such that the angles of arrival are consistent with the relative movement of the satellites through the sky during a test scenario.
Mobile communication devices such as smart phones and tablet computers and other mobile devices with radio connectivity frequently include a location determination function based on satellite radio navigation systems such as GPS, GLONASS and others using similar principles.
Testing of such devices can be done using actual Radio Frequency (RF) satellite signals and suitable antennas, but is predominantly performed using simulators or emulators that are able to generate the relevant satellite signals synthetically and coherently. Such devices under test observe signal timing and dynamics that are consistent with a simulated location, date, time and the satellite motion from a representative satellite constellation, with all aspects being defined by the operator of the test. The signals contain characteristics of real satellite signals including transmission delay, Doppler shift, modulation envelope and digital coding.
In most cases, the connection to the device under test is made using a coaxial RF cable which bypasses antennas on the device. As there is no RF antenna involved, accounting for the effects of the antenna itself involves modifying the signals using a model of the antennas' reception characteristics based on arrival vector of the signal-in-space.
An opportunity arises to improve device testing. Better, more easily configured and controlled, more resilient and transparent components and systems may result.